Vegetarian Cultural Creatives: Karadaiyan nombu adai

Karadaiyan nombu adai - sweet and savory versions

Sowmya

Karadaiyan nombu is a fasting event observed by some South Indian women. Legend has it that on this day, Savithri, a queen whose family was banished to the forest, got back everything they lost and also brought her dead husband back to life with her steadfast devotion.

While it is supposed to be fasting food, I personally love the taste of this simple adai.

Ingredients (makes about 20 sweet and 20 savory adais):

rice flour - 2 cups

black-eyed peas - 1 cup / 1 can

grated coconut - 1/3 cup

jaggery - 3/4 cup

green chillies - 2

mustard seeds - 1 tsp

black gram - 1 tsp

bengal gram - 1 tsp

cumin seeds - 1 tsp

curry leaves - 1 stalk

ginger paste - 1/2 tsp

salt - 1/2 tsp

oil - 2 tbsp

ghee - 1 tsp

elaichi powder - a pinch

asafoetida - a pinch

water - 4 cups

Method:

Heat a tablespoon of oil. Fry coconut for a minute and add rice flour. Roast for a few minutes until the smell of raw rice flour is gone, but before it starts turning light brown. If using dry black-eyed peas, pressure cook them in plenty of water until just cooked. The black-eyed peas should not be overcooked or mushy. Drain and add to the roasted rice flour. Split the mixture into two halves.

For sweet adai:

Melt jaggery in a sauce pan with half a cup of water. Once the jaggery is melted, add ghee, elaichi powder and another 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and add one half of the rice flour mixture. Mix well and cook for a few minutes. Make a soft but firm dough. Roll out lemon-sized balls, flatten them into small patties and make a hole in the center. Steam cook until the surface turns slightly shiny (my electric steamer takes about 45 minutes and gas stove steamer takes about 25 minutes).

For savory adai:

Heat a tablespoon of oil. Add asafoetida, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, bengal gram and black gram. When it splutters and the grams start turning golden brown, add finely chopped green chillies and chopped curry leaves. Then add two cups of water and bring to a boil. Add salt and the remaining half of the rice flour mixture. Cook for a few minutes and make a soft but firm dough. Roll out into lemon-sized balls, flatten them out into small patties and make a hole in the center. Steam cook along with the sweet adai if possible, for the same amount of time.